Iphigenia in Aulis

by Euripides

Start Free Trial

Characters

Download PDF PDF Page Citation Cite Share Link Share

The main character in this text is Agamemnon, brother to Menelaus, husband to Clytemnestra, and father to the ill-fated Iphigenia.

Agamemnon's internal conflict is the main force of this text. He is torn between his own guilt, his duty to his brother and the Greek soldiers, and his love of his daughter. Because Agamemnon went hunting and killed a deer in a sacred grove of Artemis, he angered the goddess. She, in an act of vengeance, stills the winds so that the ships cannot sail to Troy. The goddess Artemis demands that Agamemnon sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia in order to raise the winds so that Greek troops can sail to Troy to reclaim Helen.

Initially, Agamemnon refuses to obey this command; he cannot sacrifice his beloved daughter and cause unimaginable grief to either his child, his wife, or himself. This shows his fatherly love and devotion to family.

However, Menelaus uses convincing arguments to force Agamemnon to change his mind. Agamemnon then decides to placate both Menelaus and Artemis with the required sacrifice, so he sends a letter summoning his daughter to come to Aulis. His cleverness is evident, as he fabricates a story that will appeal to his daughter. His letter states that Iphigenia will marry the great Achilles, and in this way he hopes to get his daughter there so he can sacrifice her.

Soon after, the anguished and conflicted Agamemnon changes his mind and writes another letter that urges his wife and daughter to stay at home. He writes that the wedding will be postponed to a later time. This action shows the depth of his conflict.

However, Menelaus intercepts the letter, and Agamemnon's wife and daughter arrive at Aulis under false pretense.

Menelaus, as seen above, is also an important character in the text.

Ripe with anger at the loss of his wife, Helen, Menelaus also proves to be a man conflicted between duty, ambition, and family. At first, when he discovers that Agamemnon will not sacrifice his daughter, he is furious. He rages at Agamemnon, stating that he has a greater duty to his troops and to Greece than his duty to his daughter. However, Agamemnon bares his sorrow to his brother, and Menelaus changes his mind. He will not require his brother to sacrifice Iphigenia. He shows compassion and sensitivity when he reasons that Iphigenia is his kin, and it is unjust that she should die while his own children live. He states that the moral thing to do is to show affection and love for his brother and family, even if it may cost him dearly. He even offers the idea to kill Calchas to prevent the Greek troops from knowing the prophet's message from Artemis.

Calchas (the seer) and Odysseus are two characters that also indirectly affect the story's action. Because each knows the demands that Artemis makes for a successful voyage to Troy, they have the power to tell this secret to the Greek troops. If this secret is leaked, the troops may turn against their leaders for their refusal to do what is needed to go to Troy. Agamemnon argues that even if Calchas is killed, Odysseus may tell the armies, and in bloodlust and anger, the armies may slay him, his brother, and Iphigenia.

Clytemnestra, wife to Agamemnon, is a strong woman and major character.

She argues with Agamemnon when he makes up lies to try to get her to go home and leave Iphigenia and the marriage preparations up to him. Agamemnon says that she has other daughters at home whom she must take care of, but Clytemnestra...

(This entire section contains 943 words.)

Unlock this Study Guide Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

says her place is with her daughter at her wedding. Clytemnestra shows her strength of mind and force when she tells her husband that "it is [my] place to decide what is proper for maidens at their wedding." She also shows a mother's love when she begs Achilles to help prevent her daughter's death. She also is not afraid to speak boldly to her husband when she scolds him for his cruel plans to kill Iphigenia and warns him of the repercussions of this action.

Iphigenia is a main character in the text as well, as she provides the central conflict for all of the main characters.

It is obvious she loves her father deeply, as she is grieved at his long absence from home due to his duties to the troops. She is confused and hurt by her father's plan to sacrifice her. She proves her strength at the end of the text when she says that she will willingly go to her death to see Troy destroyed and Greece protected and awarded heightened glory. She also shows her allegiance to the gods, knowing that their demands are to be respected and honored.

Achilles is another character in the text.

His greatness is the tool Agamemnon uses to lure his daughter to Aulis. When Achilles finds out that he was used by Agamemnon to betray Agamemnon's own daughter, he is angered and says "[he] is indignant to think [he] was used as a tool." He shows his honor when he tells Clytemnestra that he will not allow Iphigenia to be sacrificed. He feels that since his name was used to lure her there, he would be as guilty of her death as the father who is willing to sacrifice her. He states that he will murder and kill if he must do so to protect Iphigenia. Even when Achilles's troops are angry with him and think his ploy is to save Iphigenia for his love of her, he still agrees to remain loyal to his promise to Clytemnestra to protect her child.

Previous

Themes

Next

Analysis